Second Ex-Rhode Island Bank Employee Admits To Bank Fraud

PROVIDENCE, RI — A former Santander Bank employee from a Providence branch admitted to a federal judge Tuesday that she stole banking information from customers and gave it to the leader of a bank fraud conspiracy.

Isha-Lee Savage, 24, was the second person this month to admit to participating in a bank fraud conspiracy run by Richard Kobi, 27, of Providence, federal prosecutors said. Savage pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Savage accessed customers' information and then provided screenshots to Kobi.

Prosecutors said Kobi used the stolen information to create fake checks. He deposited some of the checks into his bank account, prosecutors said. Kobi also paid people he solicited on Facebook to deposit checks into their bank accounts, according to prosecutors.

After the checks were deposited, Kobi and others involved in the conspiracy rapidly withdrew cash from ATMs and banks, prosecutors said. According to court documents, conspiracy members deposited about $330,000 worth of counterfeit checks.

Savage's guilty plea came five days after former Citizens Bank employee Savonnah Briggs, 28, of Providence admitted to the same crimes in the same bank fraud conspiracy.

Savage was scheduled to be sentenced on May 2, while Briggs is expected to be sentenced on April 25.

Kobi pleaded guilty on April 27, 2022, to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, 10 counts of bank fraud and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced in December 2022 to three years in federal prison.